Change of pace
by Yusagi
Summary: CH3 Rescue REDONE WITH DIFFERENT CONTENT! Yet another installment of my oddcouple challenge..ChiChi is bored with Goku, and wants a better man...'nuff said...you have to have watched 'He's always Late' to understand. Rating subject to change
1. Switch

Disclaimer: If I owned DBZ, Bulma would've married Goku.  
  
AN: This is a crazy fic I thought of a long time ago, then got motivated to write, when talking some CRAZY stuff with Sparty...so it's a little strained at points..and...being a randomly loose fic, the rating is subject to change at a whim .( You may also note I didn't bother with Html format this chapter...either..)  
  
------------------------------  
  
Change of Pace  
  
Chapter 1: Switch  
  
Chi-chi sighed, as her 'mate' snored loudly, splayed across his bed...they didn't sleep in the same bed anymore...she could hardly handle being in the same HOUSE! All his habits, that had seemed so cute...had worn to annoying, and even repulsive...she didn't even care that he was back from the dead any more...sometimes she wished he would go back...  
  
Even his sweet innocence couldn't make up for his many faults...no...her mind had drifted towards anotherm radically different, Saiyan.  
  
She shuddered at the thought, no matter how much she disliked Goku's little 'tendancies'...she...she COULDN'T!  
  
A sneaky thought crept into her mind...or COULD she?...  
  
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o  
  
Bulma stifled a large yawn, as she picked up the phone...who was calling at 7:00am?!  
  
" Who ever you are...you BETTER have a good reason for calling me at this ungodly hour!"  
  
" Ah, Bulma, it's seven O'clock!" Chi-Chi's voice chirped.  
  
" Exactly!"  
  
" Are you up for coffee at Jennie's?"  
  
" That desperate to get out?"  
  
" Partially." Chi Chi replied sullenly.  
  
" Okay, I'll pick you up in five."  
  
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o  
  
Vegeta suppressed an annoyed growl, there that woman went again! Who-knows-where, for who-knows-how-long....what did she care what he thought about anything??  
  
It was a mistake to even get involved with her! A mistake he often wished he could remedy.  
  
After all, it was unnatural for a Saiyan to keep just one mate...let alone a prince!  
  
He gave a final glare at the door she left out of, one that should've burned a hole straight through it.....did she even remember who he WAS??  
  
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o   
  
" What?!" Bulma exclaimed, staring at her companion across the table.  
  
" Don't you remember? You weren't serious?" Chi-Chi asked worriedly.  
  
" Well...that's not something one can really be serious about, you can't trade Saiyans around like trinkets!"  
  
" What if it's only for a little bit? I know YOURS won't mind that much...with the food...and it's like...letting them off of a leash for a while.."  
  
" A leash?!"  
  
" Well, for lack of a better term, I mean." Chi-Chi said quickly, " So, what do you say? Only for a little bit??"  
  
Well...Bulma smiled slightly at the thought of exchanging Vegeta for Goku a little while...THAT would wipe that insufferable smirk off Vegeta's face for sure!  
  
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o  
  
" WHAT?!!!" He cried, glaring at her, " I'm not some piece of property, woman!"  
  
" It's only temporary, and REALLY....it's not like you're doing anything but 'moving in' with Chi-Chi! Goku won't even be there!!"  
  
" She's hell-spawn!!"  
  
" You can bring your gravity -equipment, and I won't call..." She said enticingly.  
  
He gave her a considering glare, then said finally, " For how long?"  
  
" Chi-Chi and I agreed on three months, but we could extend it..."  
  
" And when does it start?"  
  
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o  
  
" Why do I have to pack, Chi-Chi?" Goku asked innocently.  
  
" Like I said before, you are going to spend a couple of months at Bulma's, okay?" Chi-Chi said for the fifth time.  
  
" Okay, but why am I doing that, again?:"  
  
She sighed, and said, " Remember? She really misses you, and I need.....to clean the house."  
  
" Ohh!" He said, smiling knowingly, " Is that why I have to go...okay...but if I'm really good, and I don't break anything, can I come back faster?"  
  
" Maybe, sweetie..."  
  
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o  
  
" You realise this is totally insane." Gohan said flatly.  
  
" You're tellin' me?" Trunks laughed, " Mothers are insane, all of them."  
  
" Gee...too bad I didn't have a childhood friend to 'swap mates' with..." Videl pouted.  
  
Gohan gave her a startled look, and said, " You're joking!"  
  
" I think it sounds FUN!" Goku smiled.  
  
" Whatever, the sooner we start, the sooner we can finish." Vegeta growled.  
  
" Now, Vegeta, You better not hurt Chi-Chi because you're being a sour puss..." Goku warned.  
  
" Bite me."  
  
" Why?" Goku asked, utterly confused.  
  
" Dad..." Gohan started, sighing.  
  
" Now remember, no running around, dragging your feet, making a big fuss and ruining our 'vacation'!!" Chi-chi chirped suddenly.  
  
" Yes, yes, we KNOW!!" Trunks sighed, " You make it sound like your vacation is going to be 'not that innocent'...."  
  
Chi-chi gave Trunks a withering glare, and said, " OF COURSE NOT!!!"  
  
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o  
  
" Gee..the last time we were living together, we were what? Teenagers?" Bulma asked from the kitchen.  
  
" I'm not sure..."  
  
" Well, if THIS time holds half as much adventureas the last, it will be absolutely perfect, don't you think?" Bulma asked, smiling, as she brought in some food on a platter, followed by numerous robot waiters.  
  
" Are we going to hunt dragonballs, or something?" Goku asked, confused, as she put the food down in front of him.  
  
" Oh no, that's not what I mean." She said, sitting down across from him, " I just mean our position...now...."  
  
" Huh?"  
  
" Oh, nothing!" She replied, smiling brightly again, " Just eat!"  
  
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o  
  
The house was much too small for his tastes, but there WAS the benefit of it being miles away from any annoying humans....with the exception of perhaps the worst.  
  
" Dinner is at six...you know, when the sun disappears.."  
  
Vegeta turned his glare to the woman, " I am not such an idiot as your mate is."  
  
Pink crept onto the woman's harsh cheeks, and she hurried out of the room.  
  
At least he could spend all his time in the gravity capsule now, without being interrupted by ANYONE....unless that woman of his had lent her technology to the hellcat he now 'roomed' with..  
  
The witch did..didn't she?  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
AN: There ya go, what do you think? R&R please!  
  
Don't miss my other odd couples..click on my little name up top!!  
  
-Yusagi Sombermoon 


	2. Chichi's dilemma

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ 

AN: So finally, I get this chapter up...I guess it was a little tough?...ooohh...stupid chapter name.

* * *

**_Change of Pace_**

**Chapter 2:_Chi-chi's dillema_**

Chi-chi sighed as she sat down on the couch, the last week had been hectic indeed...half the time the man would train 24/7, not even bothering to sleep, and the other half he spent complaining about the guest room, which had been Goten's.

When she had angrily told him he could try _Goku's_ bed if he wasn't satisfied he'd finally shut up.

And the dishes! Though he _did_ eat less than Goku, no doubt in part because he was in such a hurry to go back to his training, he had broken nearly every dish she owned. Apparently Bulma used extremely heavy-duty china-ware.

That problem, too, had been resolved, as Bulma had sent Trunks over with a large supply of her 'extra' dishes.

Of course, another part of their agreement was that they were not allowed to leave their property or come into contact with their respective husbands.

In the end, the inertial dampeners Bulma had provided for the gravity capsule had proved invaluable when Chi-chi needed to sleep during one of his 'training sessions'.

_So, _she had thought to herself an indeterminable amount of times during the 'week of hell' _I've found all his bad points, there can only be good ones now, right?_

Oh, how often she had been proven wrong!

Yet, she had asked for this, and she was determined to emerge the victor of this before the three months were up!

"You just wait, Mr. I-rule-the-world...you won't know left from right when I'm done!"

o-o-o-o-o

Bulma gave a satisfied sigh, as the warm water of the shower washed over her, the last week had been better than she'd expected!

He was so docile and placid, on day three she'd convinced him to sleep in the same room as her, and only a little bit of prodding got him in the same bed.

At first he had been a bit of a wild sleeper, but it hadn't been hard to show him the way, and the nights since had been incredably peaceful.

When he ate, he had this peacefulness about him that was almost like Saiyan table-manners. Rather than savagely attacking his food, he smiled, thanked her for it, and chowed down much more like an overweight man, than a starving animal.

She smiled to herself suddenly, from the exhausted tone of Chi-chi's voice when she'd called for help, Chi-chi had not faired so well.

It couldn't be helped, she asked for it!

_Wasn't as if I hadn't warned her hundreds of times before_

As she wrapped her plush purple towel around her, she smiled faintly into the mirror, her mind drifting to when she had first met Goku, back when he had barged in on her bath.

What if he did it again? How much might he understand about it this time?

She shook her head quickly, she couldn't think like that, he was a married man!

And yet Chi-chi had insisted on the fact that the two of them need never tell the other anything that happened during the three months...that had made her slightly suspicious of what Chi-chi's true intentions were.

Not that she didn't have faith in Vegeta or anything...

_I do_ not _have him on a leash!_

She shook her head firmly, she couldn't just turn around and do exactly what she had silently accused her friend of planning!

She sighed heavily, what was wrong with her? Acting like some school girl!

_Snap out of it, girl, come on!_ she chided herself, splashing water on her face.

o-o-o-o-o-o

Vegeta frowned as he sat in the corner of the pod, grudgingly taking a break.

The sky outside was dark as pitch now, but that mattered little to him-he actually ipreferred/i the night.

The witch had indeed installed an intercom in the capsule she had supplied. Blissfully, the hell-cat used it sparingly.

He hated to admit it, but the woman had earned his grudging respect, not giving up on this little game, persisting in finding a solution to even his most ingenious schemes to get her off his back.

Naturally he hadn't _really_ tried, but still...no human he had met before could withstand such punishment and come back so readily for more.

Not even that vixen he normally lived with.

Abruptly he decided that line of thought was far too complicated for the training room, and immediately launched himself into even fiercer training.

o-o-o-o-o-o

Goku smiled goofily at the air, it was nice, this place.

He could eat as much as he wanted, and no one complained, he didn't have to sleep on the floor all the time, and best of all, Bulma never yelled at him!

But he missed his home...Bulma was a fun friend, but Chi-chi was his wife...and though his mind may have been addled, his goofy smile faded to a small frown as he realized how much he missed her.

"I hope you clean your house soon, Chi-chi...I wanna go home."

Completely unnoticed by Goku, a slim figure stood in the doorway to the house, a sad smile on her tired face, and tears shimmering in her eyes.

"Don't worry..." she whispered," you'll see her again soon...I promise."

o-o-o-o-o-o

"This is crazy! I can't even go in my own house anymore!" Trunks sighed, raking his fingers frantically through his hair as if he were being telepathically assaulted.

"It's not that bad, Trunks..." Goten replied," After all, it's not like you're on the street! You're with me!"

"That's the problem, Goten..."

Goten couldn't help but laugh at his friend, his mother wasn't the type to kick her son out of the house for days at a time for such tiny things as forgetting to buy her groceries a few times and cruising the streets instead...Trunks simply wasn't _accustomed_ to being banned from his home for so long!

"Look, Trunks, you only have two-and-a-half months to go, then you can pretend this nightmare never existed!"

"And what if they decide thier 'test drives' were up to spec, and trade their husbands permanantly?"

For the first time in years, Trunks' words inspired a vice-grip of fear around his throat.

Quickly, he shook it off...that was absurd!

"Trunks! Quit acting so unreasonably paranoid!" Goten snapped," This...'thing' our mother's are doing...it's not gonna last, okay? No way our dad's will let it."

"Well..._your _dad might."

In spite of himself, he couldn't help but laugh...his father could be such a goof!

"I just hope you're right..." Trunks mumbled, shaking his head.

o-o-o-o-o-o

"I just think we should check on her!" Gohan sighed, not for the first time.

"Gohan, you _know_ you're not supposed to be interfering with your parent's wacky vacation from reality!" Videl repeated for the hundreth time," Now, you know as well as I do, Chi-chi is _perfectly_ safe!"

"I just wish I could shake this feeling that _something's_ wrong!"

Videl smiled and slipped behind him, massaging his shoulders." It's okay...everything will be fine...relax!"

o-o-o-o-o-o

Chi-chi sighed as she sat uncomfortably across from her 'guest', his glare was impassible, and directed at her.

Suddenly, he inhaled sharply," Hellcat, your dinner is burning."

His derogatory comment did not even register to her ears.

_How could it be burning! It's far from ready!_

Frantically, she rushed into the kitchen...there was no smell and no smoke, but she opened the oven anyway and peered inside, the roast wasn't even half-done.

Strange.

She caught a whiff of the smell...it was coming from farther down the hall...

The scent led her to a storage room, and she warily swung open the door, casting about for all the usual signs of fire.

There was nothing unusual to be seen in the room, even when she flipped on the light switch. There was only drawers, boxes, cabinets, and their propane water heater.

Nothing.

Yet the smell was choking in the room, and as Chi-chi thought about it, the scent was somehow familiar.

Absently, she entered the room, looking for where she could have smelled it before.

_Where...where did I smell that...?_

She froze.

_The water heater_

She barely had time to scream before the heater exploded in flames.

* * *

AN: Okay, it may seem farfetched, but that scenario is entirely possible! My mother once had 3 feet of flame erupt from a water heater behind her, luckily the door to the small laundry room was open to the night air, so the room wasn't filled with the gas, else she'd have been a crispy critter...speaking of that, _don't_ do all that stuff Chi-chi did...if a water heater like that has a leak, it could explode like that without warning, esp. if it turns on!(I think newer ones have a safety mechanism to prevent it from exploding, but not older ones!) Also...if you do smell gas in a room, it is a bad idea to turn on the light(esp. if you have an old style hanging bulb that you pull a string to turn on) it's likely to go **boom**.

To important things!

Have I gone mad and killed the main character!

Also...to any _Fate_ readers...I'd have updated already but I'm missing the page that I'm at! T.T

Yusagi Sombermoon.


	3. Rescue

Disclaimer: I do not own Toei, funimation, viz comics, or anything related to DBZ. Obviously…Forward your GT-related flames somewhere else.

AN: Have not updated in…a year? Cliffhangers are one thing…making the reader wait an ungodly amount of time to figure out anything other than the climax or crux of the story—unreasonable!

Can you tell I'm irritated about the latest Harry Potter book? 'Cause I think I'm doing a pretty good job of hiding it! XD (excuse me…I think I feel like being a kettle now)

Anyway, on with the show—that has absolutely nothing to do with HP, mind you—I hadn't read any of the books when I originally wrote this. Yes, it's been that long.

Originally this was going to be Goten-Marron, but I changed it to Bra at the request of a reviewer.

Just a reminder of the current couples (can't tell you how they'll end up, or I'd spoil things..)

Goku-Bulma (temp switch)

Vegeta-Chichi (temp switch)

Gohan-Videl

Krillin-18

Goten-Bra

Trunks-Pan

Marron-Uub

Tien-Launch (yes, I like this couple! Stupid Tien…)

/frowns/ did I forget anyone…?

Finally some romantic stuff in this chapter—sadly, most of it is not the two main couples.

**This chapter has sexual themes including a mild lemon—you have been warned.**

**Started (CPU transference): _11/27/05 8:39:39 PM__

* * *

_**

_Change of Pace_

**Chapter 3: _Rescue_**

The pain was detached, a vague sensation in a sea of fear and emptiness.

She had never expected something like this. _How can this happen now? Dying_ _so meaninglessly…I don't know if it's more shocking or horrifying._

There was a voice echoing in the distance…someone yelling…and then everything faded away.

**COP-CPO-PCO-POC-OPC-OCP**

A shiver ran through him, turning his stomach to ice.

_Chi-Chi!_

Instantly, he leapt up from the table that he and Bulma were sitting at, and ran for the door.

"Goku!"

He froze.

"Where are you going? You didn't finish your food…"

"I'm sorry, Bulma, but something horrible has happened to Chi-Chi! I have to go to her!" He said, and then moved once more to leave.

"Goku! _WAIT!_"

He paused and looked back at her. She was standing now, her green eyes were wide and shimmering, and she was visibly trembling.

"You'll…you'll be breaking the deal…" She said quietly. "You know she won't like that…Vegeta can and will protect her from anything that could be threatening her."

"I…I'm really sorry…but I have no choice."

"Yeah…" She whispered, gaze falling to the floor. "Of course."

**COP-CPO-PCO-POC-OPC-OCP**

"_MOM!_" Gohan cried, leaping up from his desk.

Videl blinked, and looked over at him. "It was just a dream, Gohan. You fell asleep."

"But I just can't shake this feeling…"

Videl sighed, and glanced at the clock—10:30 pm. "Gohan…it's late, we need to go to bed—you have a meeting at eight—you are not going to fly halfway across the world to check on your mother, when she is perfectly fine."

"But—"

Videl massaged her temples a moment, before walking over to squeeze the dark-haired man's shoulder. "Think about it. If for some bizarre reason she _is _in trouble, you know how many people are _right there_ to protect her! You are not needed anywhere but here, Gohan."

Her husband gave a laugh. "Gee, thanks for that ego boost."

Videl smacked him on the shoulder. "You _know _what I _mean, _Gohan!"

He smiled. "I guess you're right…"

"Of course I am, now lets get to bed, shall we?" She replied, giving him a kiss, and tugging at his collar.

"Aye _aye_, Captain."

**COP-CPO-PCO-POC-OPC-OCP**

"Gee…did you feel that?" Goten asked, looking toward the open window that faced the edge of the island. "Felt like a really cold breeze there."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Bra said plainly. "If you're cold, come a little closer."

He smiled at the turquoise-haired girl, and walked across the room to shut the full-length windows.

"You know…it's _really _warm in these covers!" Bra called.

He gave her a devilish grin. "Warm? They're about to become sizzling hot…"

**COP-CPO-PCO-POC-OPC-OCP**

"Are you sure they're gone this time?" Trunks frowned. "I don't fancy another beat down."

Pan laughed. "Yes, yes! All week!"

He smirked down at her. "Good…that means no interruptions…"

She gave him her best Saiyan smirk. "Don't you think you're a little old for me?"

"Are you calling me 'old'?"

"Are you?"

He snorted and pinned her against the wall, shrugging off his jacket with one hand. "You know, my secretary doesn't give me this grief."

She narrowed her eyes in irritation. "You're joking."

"What do you think?" He did not give her a chance to reply, before bringing his lips down in a crushing kiss, coiling an arm around her possessively. He did not wait for permission from her before forcing his way into her mouth, and ripping through her blue shirt.

She gave a startled gasp when he broke away from her to lower his mouth to her chest. _I don't believe it...he's really…we're really going to…_

The lilac-haired boy hiked her hips up against him forcefully as he whispered in her ear. "Are you sure you're not still too young—like Gohan said?"

"Don't bring him up now, Trunks!" Pan snapped. "I already made my decision!"

He gave a feral grin. "Good…because I'm not quitting now."

---

Her cries matched his increasingly erratic rhythm as she dug her nails into his skin. The room was practically spinning as he groaned into her neck. Her eyes slipped shut a moment, only to snap open a moment later. _Eww! Why did I just see my grandmother?_

A relentless cold was settling into her, a nagging anxiety that had her glancing around the house nervously. _What's going on?_

Trunks seemed oblivious to the cold, panting and groaning with ardor.

_What's wrong with grandma? _She was becoming increasingly distracted, her purple-haired boyfriend all but forgotten. _Something's wrong! She could be hurt! I should do something! What am I supposed to tell Trunks! _

He was as yet oblivious to his partner's discomfort, absorbed in his own world, running his teeth across her almost painfully.

The cold was fading once more, and a soft moan emitted from her throat, as lights began to dance before her eyes. Trunks' heavy breathing was harsh in her ears as he leaned up to whisper in her ear. His voice came out as little more than a growl as he spoke. "I claim you…"

She gave a howl of ecstasy as his teeth broke her skin, and dancing lights erupted across her vision.

**COP-CPO-PCO-POC-OPC-OCP**

There was a rather loud knock at the door. Vegeta was not surprised by the knock; he had sensed Kakarot's ki coming from miles away.

Walking along the thin line somewhere between irritation and proud indifference, Vegeta opened the door and scowled confidently at the taller Saiyan.

"Where's Chi-chi?"

"Asleep, as far as I know."

"What happened, Vegeta?"

"What are you blathering about?" Vegeta asked blandly. "The only thing I remember 'happening' was the hell-cat burning her hand on the stove while reaching for a pan to attack with. I only remember because she insisted on using a sensu even though she was barely blistered."

"No way, something really bad happened to her just now! Quit lying to me!" Kakarot insisted with the kind of ferocity he usually reserved for galactic tyrants.

"Oh, and when did you become a psychic, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked sardonically, before snorting. "She is perfectly _fine_, Kakarot! Now get out of here! Do you _realize _what she'll do if she sees you here? I don't intend to play this _farce _any longer than I must!"

"But…"

"_Out_! This absurd 'game' is almost finished—_then _you will be able to see her!"

The man sighed. "You're not lying to me?"

Vegeta growled in irritation. "Why in Kami's name would I _lie _to you about that? I realize your brain is horribly mangled and pulverized, but _try _to think once in awhile!"

"A-ah…okay…I'll try…."

**COP-CPO-PCO-POC-OPC-OCP**

Bulma sighed as she sat at the table, mentally slapping herself. _I can't believe I let myself lose control! Had it been anyone else_, _I would be found out! And then living through the last part of the arrangement would be a royal pain…as it is…he'll still probably ask about it unless he forgets…_

She stood up quickly. "Food! Lots of food! That'll knock that memory right out!"

**COP-CPO-PCO-POC-OPC-OCP**

His lip curled into a snarl as he looked down at the sleeping form of the woman he had rescued earlier that night. Her entire right side was bandaged, and most of her skin was bright pink. She would likely scream and whine about her hair when she woke as well. Still…she was lucky…very lucky.

Without a sensu she would easily be bedridden until the end of the agreement. And _he _was saddled with the irritating task of tending to her!

He shook his head and closed the door, moving to check her bandages. "This is the last time I rescue you. I'm not Kakarot or some sentimental fool, do you understand? Next time you are going to blow yourself up alone!"

**CH END

* * *

**

AN: . Originally there was no lemon—but the chapter was too short, so I added Trunks and Pan. 2nd draft was much more nitty-gritty…might have pushed it beyond rules.

So, I cut out non-essential parts, and reduced some description—specifically anything related to grinding or thrusting XD Leaving me the only one who shall ever see the whole scene (except for those of you with exceptionally dirty minds)

Yes…though the main romances are G/B V/C, I'm not going to glaze over the others, either….

And I think I shall be making a sequel….;) but that all depends on how I decide to finish this one.

**Finished (CPU transference w/2 hr break for dinner and movie) 11/27/05 11:54:14 PM**

**Transference to floppy: 12/21/05 4:38:01 PM**

-Yusagi Sombermoon


End file.
